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Websleuths News

On the latest edition of Websleuths Radio we welcome one of the most respected reporters and a renowned true crime author Aphrodite Jones
Topic Weinstien, Las Vegas, and more
CLICK HERE to listen

"'She just kind of glared at me and then turned away, so I grabbed the gun and shot her.' Those were Tanner Flores' words," McDonald told the jury of five women and nine men in his opening, quoting from a video-taped interview between Flores and Mesa County Sheriff's Office investigators. "He went on to say, 'I thought it would be an instant thing.'"

Three bullets fired from a revolver were found in Doolittle's head, according to an autopsy, and McDonald noted that the defendant would have had to cock the weapon to fire each separate round. McDonald also said only one of the three shots Flores fired was fatal, and that a medical examiner would testify that Doolittle could have survived two of the three shots with immediate medical attention. Prosecutors believe the number of rounds Flores fired and his decision to not seek medical care for Doolittle show intent to kill.

"Danny Norris (with the Mesa County Sheriff's Office) worked very hard to re-frame this as an intentional act," Laughon told the jury. "Tanner Flores described this event as sudden and unplanned. When you put the pieces of evidence together, and separate the rhetoric from reality, you will find Tanner Flores did not kidnap Ashley Doolittle, and though he caused her death, he did not commit first-degree murder."

Tanner Flores testified for almost two hours Monday afternoon and admitted to the jury that he shot Ashley Doolittle.

Flores, a 19-year-old Berthoud man, is accused of shooting and killing Doolittle, 18, his former girlfriend, in June 2016. He faces life in prison on first-degree murder allegations, as well as up to 32 years on a felony kidnapping charge in the case.

Doolittle's mother, Ann Marie Doolittle, addressed the court on behalf of her family before Judge Greg Lammons issued the sentence.

She emphasized her daughter's love for her horses and that she had just built a new house on a property for boarding horses.

"She never really had the chance to enjoy it," Ann Marie Doolittle said of the house. "He destroyed two families. When he killed Ashley, he killed a part of me. He took away our son's best friend. We will never get the chance to enjoy with her the bright future she had. Now the court proceedings are embedded in our minds."

"Our hearts go out to the Flores family. A part of me feels bad for Tanner, but that does not mean he should not be punished for his actions," Ann Marie Doolittle said.

Eighth Judicial District Judge Gregory Lammons sentenced Flores to life in prison without the possibility of parole, plus an additional 32 years in prison for the kidnapping charge. Flores was convicted of first-degree murder after deliberation, felony murder and second-degree kidnapping.

Lammons offered only brief remarks before handing down the sentence.

"There's nothing I can say that Ms. Doolittle hasn't already said," he said.